Released on March 8, 2024, "Shaitaan" has swiftly emerged as a standout horror thriller within Bollywood. This supernatural drama has not only triumphed at the box office but also captured a global audience when it premiered on Netflix on May 4, 2024. In this review, we delve into the myriad aspects of "Shaitaan" that have contributed to its widespread acclaim. "Shaitaan's" Production Ensemble Scripted by Aamil Keeyan Khan and directed by Vikas Bahl, "Shaitaan" is a collaborative production between Devgn Films, Panorama Studios, and Jio Studios. The film is a remake of the 2023 Gujarati hit "Vash," directed by Krishnadev Yagnik, offering a fresh take on its original story.  The casting of the film includes Bollywood heavyweights such as Ajay Devgn and R. Madhavan, alongside Jyothika, marking her return to Hindi cinema after a 25-year hiatus. Her last appearance was in the film "Doli Saja Ke Rakhna" (1998). Janki Bodiwala, a notable Gujarati actress from the original film, reprises her role in this Hindi adaptation, adding authenticity and continuity. Read more: May 2024: A Riveting Lineup of Korean Dramas Premiering on Netflix The film's auditory landscape, composed by Amit Trivedi, and the evocative lyrics penned by Rakesh Kumar Pal complement the film’s tense atmosphere. Cinematographer Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti and editor Sandeep Francis skillfully capture and assemble the visual and narrative elements, enhancing the movie's suspense and emotional depth. Exploring the Themes and Plot The narrative of "Shaitaan" revolves around a seemingly happy family whose life is upended when their daughter falls under the influence of black magic. The orchestrator of this dark spell is the enigmatic Vanraaj, played by R. Madhavan, who targets the family at a roadside dhaba and follows them to a secluded holiday villa. His malevolent intentions unfold through psychological manipulation and supernatural power, compelling the daughter to turn against her own family. The film ingeniously combines elements of psychological thrillers with supernatural horror, creating an unsettling yet compelling cinematic experience. Director Vikas Bahl expertly balances these elements, crafting a narrative that is both thrilling and thought-provoking. Read more: May 2024 Amazon Prime Originals: Most-Hyped Shows, Web Series, and Movies

The Blumhouse evil-doll horror film “M3gan” got off to a killer start, debuting with $30.2 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates, while “Avatar: The Way of Water” continued its box-office reign in the top spot. Universal Pictures’ “M3gan,” about a robot companion built for a young girl after her parents are killed in a car accident, rode strong buzz and viral dancing memes to an above-expectations debut. In the low-budget slasher, starring Allison Williams, Blumhouse and producer James Wan crafted Hollywood’s first hit of the new year, likely spawning a new high-concept horror franchise. Audiences gave the PG-13 film a “B” CinemaScore — though reviews (94% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) were stronger for the modern, techy twist on a “Child’s Play”-like thriller. It added $10 million internationally. But while “M3gan” drew audiences largely in 2D showings, large-format screens continued to be soaked up by James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water.” The 3-D three-hour sequel remained No. 1 for the fourth straight week in U.S. and Canadian theaters with $45 million in sales. Cameron’s sci-fi spectacle has now surpassed $500 million domestically and $1.7 billion globally. After dominating the otherwise lackluster holiday corridor, the “Avatar” sequel is nearly matching the original’s pace; the 2009 “Avatar” scored $50.3 million in its fourth weekend. “The Way of Water” already ranks as the seventh highest grossing film ever, not accounting for inflation — a total particularly owed to its strong overseas performance. The film’s $1.2 billion in international ticket sales exceeds that of any film released since the start of the pandemic. “M3gan” was the only new film in wide release, though Sony Pictures’ “A Man Called Otto,” starring Tom Hanks, played in 637 theaters after first launching in four theaters. The film, a remake of the Swedish film “A Man Called Ove,” managed a solid $4.2 million ahead of its nationwide release on Friday. Third place went to “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” with $13.1 million in its third week of release. The animated Universal Pictures sequel has tallied $87.7 million in three weeks, plus $109.7 million internationally. While many awards contenders have struggled in recent months at the box office, Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale” is proving a modest exception. The A24 indie starring Brendan Fraser ranked seventh in its fifth week of release with $1.5 million and a cumulative total of $8.6 million — a good return for a film that cost an estimated $3 million to make. Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday. 1. “Avatar: The Way of Water,” $45 million. 2. “M3gan,” $30.2 million. 3. “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” $13.1 million. 4. “A Man Called Otto,” $4.2 million. 5. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” $4 million. 6. “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” $2.4 million. 7. “The Whale,” $1.5 million. 8. “Babylon,” $1.4 million. 9. “Violent Night,” $740,000. 10. “The Menu,” $713,000.  

The horror film “The Invitation” needed just $7 million to finish at the top of the weakest weekend of the summer at the North American box office, according to studio estimates Sunday. Directed and co-written by Jessica M. Thompson and starring “Game of Thrones” actor Nathalie Emmanuel, “The Invitation” tells the story of a young woman who after her mother's death discovers dark secrets at her family home in the English countryside. It debuted on 3,141 screens for Sony and cost just $10 million to make. Sony also had the No. 2 movie with the Brad Pitt vehicle “Bullet Train,” which brought in an estimated $5.6 million from 3,513 screens in its fourth week, bringing its domestic total to $78.2 million. Universal’s “Beast,” starring Idris Elba, finished third with $4.9 million in its second week, after making $11.6 million and ranking second in its first. Elba was also the star of the week’s other major debut, “Three Thousand Years of Longing,” the fantasy epic from “Mad Max” director George Miller, which brought in just $2.9 million on 2,436 screens and finished a distant and disappointing seventh. The lagging results were no great surprise for this time of year. “We’re in that what is often the typical August slowdown heading into Labor Day weekend,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “This was to be expected given the lineup of films this weekend.” Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick” remained in fourth in its 14th weekend in theaters with an additional $4.8 million. It has made over $691 million in North America to date, making it the sixth-highest grossing domestic release of all time. Last week's No. 1, “Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero” plunged to fifth in its second weekend with $4.6 million after bringing in $20.1 million in its debut. Read: MTV VMAs ready to host, honor some of music's biggest acts The weekend overall saw about $52.7 million in North American ticket sales — the slowest in months. A strong summer has meant that the year-to-date box office is still up significantly from a tepid 2021, but a long drought lies ahead until another surge of expected big earners such as “Halloween Ends” and “Black Adam," which will both be released in October. Amid the quiet spell at the box office, movie tickets will be just $3 in the vast majority of American theaters as part of a newly launched “ National Cinema Day ” on Saturday. Major chains, including AMC and Regal Cinemas, are participating, as are all major film studios. Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday. 1. “The Invitation," $7 million. 2. “Bullet Train,” $5.6 million. 3. “Beast,” $4.9 million. 4. “Top Gun: Maverick,” $4.8 million. 5. “Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero,” $4.6 million. 6. “DC League of Super-Pets,” $4.2 million. 7. “Three Thousand Years of Longing,” $2.9 million 8. “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” $2.74 million. 9. “Thor: Love and Thunder,” $2.7 million. 10. “Where the Crawdads Sing,” $2.3 million

When you are up to choose your top 10 latest horror movies, you need to go through some parameters. After all, these are the horror movies to watch during the covid-19 lockdown. If you go by as a legitimate horror fan, you always check the movie before watching it. Now, what are the criteria?  In this case, we usually get back to the movie we loved once. It can be the story, or the protagonist character, or the cinematography. Even a weird laughing or grisly gesture of a pop culture character can divert us from the depression of this pandemic time. Eventually, we ask our friends, see trailers, read reviews to know where we will find those ingredients. Here we have assembled some of the best horror movies for you to give a try in this lockdown. The sources are the popular movie site- IMDb, Rotten Tomato, and Metacritic. They all analyze the rating and reviews from movie watchers and critics. Top 10 horror movies to watch during lockdown His House (Release: October 30, 2020) IMDb: 6.5/10 from 27k+ raters Rotten Tomato: Tomatometer: 100% from 112 reviewers; Audience: 75% from 500+ raters Metacritic: Metascore: 72% from 19 critic; User Score: 7.2/10 from 58 raters Google User Likes: 81% Movie Time: 1h 33m Language: English After fleeing the war-torn area, a young North African couple moves into a shabby house in London. Gradually they keep facing inauspicious evil phenomena where the horror is no less than war. This Netflix ghost story will give you both the dreads of horrendous evil and the Wartime panic at a time. Also Read: Bulbbul Netflix Review: Feminist Tale of Revenge and Honor Willy’s Wonderland (Release: February 12, 2021) IMDb: 5.5/10 from 9.8k+ raters Rotten Tomato: Tomatometer: 64% from 74 reviewers; Audience: 75% from 500+ raters Metacritic: Metascore: 44% from 13 critics; User Score: 7.9/10 from 63 raters Google User Likes: 87% Movie Time: 1h 29m Language: English The Oscar-Winning Star Nicholas Cage will take you to an imaginary world- Willy’s Wonderland and fight against some sinister mechanized mascots. It will bring fun more than just a horror show. As a result, it can be one of your movies to watch during the covid-19 lockdown. Hunter Hunter (Release: December 18, 2020) IMDb: 6.4/10 from 94.5k+ raters Rotten Tomato: Tomatometer: 94% from 50 reviewers; Audience: 68% from 100+ raters Metacritic: Metascore: 61% from 9 critics; User Score: 6.3/10 from 4 raters Google User Likes: 64% Movie Time: 1h 33m Language: English A presumption of a fur trapper family getting in trouble by a rogue wolf becomes terrifying mysteries in turn just after the husband going out to track the wolf. Having a glimpse of its cover image and the trailer, you can probably hunch many things. But also be ready to get surprised. Saint Maud (Release: February 12, 2021) IMDb: 6.8/10 from 14k+ raters Rotten Tomato: Tomatometer: 93% from 171 reviewers; Audience: 67% from 250+ raters Metacritic: Metascore: 83% from 35 critics; User Score: 7/10 from 40 raters Google User Likes: 64% Movie Time: 1h 24m Language: English How desperate can an obsession be? How far can you go to save your dearest one’s soul? You can get those answers from Saint Maud. This suspenseful movie presents an attempt of a young nurse to save a life by all means. Even she crossed the border of all norms and morality. Its jump scaring can overtake others in your top 10 latest horror movies list instantly. Also Read: Yesterday movie review: A breezy watch Psycho Goreman (Release: January 22, 2021) IMDb: 6.2/10 from 5.4k+ raters Rotten Tomato: Tomatometer: 91% from 64 reviewers; Audience: 61% from 250+ raters Metacritic: Metascore: 69% from 12 critics; User Score: 7.1/10 from 16 raters Google User Likes: 60% Movie Time: 1h 35m Language: English It will give you Science Fiction and comedy along with horror. After unleashing an ancient alien on the earth, two siblings get involved in a conflict of aliens over a gem. It is pure fun with some exciting actions. It was supposed to premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival last year but stopped for the covid-19 pandemic. Violation (Release: March 25, 2021) IMDb: 5.3/10 from 1.2k+ raters Rotten Tomato: Tomatometer: 87% from 92 reviewers; Audience: 90% from 100+ raters Metacritic: Metascore: 70% from 11 critics; User Score: 4.8/10 from 8 raters Google User Likes: 60% Movie Time: 1h 47m Language: English Violation is a story of continuous betrayal and a screenplay of ultimate vengeance. To jump-start her life, a woman gets back to her sister. But the things did not go as she expected. Everyone surrounding her took chances at her helplessness. And, it goes on and on. Finally, it gets intolerable. Then the thrill begins. Just shuffle the list of movies to watch during the covid-19 lockdown and give it a try. It definitely will win the hours. The Call (Release: November 27, 2020) IMDb: 7.1/10 from 19k+ raters Rotten Tomato: Tomatometer: 100% from 10 reviewers; Audience: 79% from 100+raters Metacritic: Metascore: 75% from 1 critic; User Score: 7.4/10 from 7 raters Google User Likes: 92% Movie Time: 1h 52m Language: Korean Suppose you just got a call from a stranger living 20 years behind your time. As every past has its impacts on the future, you both started to utilize this opportunity in your favor. Suddenly, you came to realize that the stranger is a serial killer and you can’t take advantage of everything. The call will easily penetrate your top 10 latest horror movies list. There are pebbled twists to play with your mind. An engaging story precedes the growing suspense, not to mention the bloodshed. Read Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl – Story of a Winner Who Dreamt Higher The Dark and The Wicked (Release: November 6, 2020) IMDb: 6.1/10 from 9.6k+ raters Rotten Tomato: Tomatometer: 92% from 101 reviewers; Audience: 63% from 250+ raters Metacritic: Metascore: 72% from 14 critic; User Score: 5.9/10 from 32 raters Google User Likes: 77% Movie Time: 1h 35m Language: English The family gets back to its isolated farm. The sick father stays apart, and the upset mother tells the children not to come closer. I am not talking about the contemporary covid-19 issue. It is the synopsis of The Dark and The Wicked Movie. The siblings go through a series of traumatic events after their mother hangs herself. Eventually, you find here the loneliness is undeniably frightening. The Night (Release: February 24, 2021) IMDb: 5.6/10 from 1.2k+ raters Rotten Tomato: Tomatometer: 81% from 59 reviews; Audience: 67% from 50 raters Metacritic: Metascore: 68% from 10 critics; Audience: no rating yet Google User Likes: 85% Movie Time: 1h 45m Language: Persian You can change your taste with this Irani psychological horror. A couple trapped in a hotel begins to face treacherous and grotesque events that disclose all of their secrets to one another. The protagonist characters have done their job perfectly. Finally, this well-made haunted hotel story can make your top 10 latest horror movies list versatile. The Vigil (Release: February 26, 2021) IMDb: 5.6/10 from 3.4k+ raters Rotten Tomato: Tomatometer: 90% from 105 reviewers; Audience: 53% from 50+ raters Metacritic: Metascore: 69% from 12 critics; User Score: 7.4/10 from 5 raters Google User Likes: 66% Movie Time: 1h 30m Language: English Last but not least, this supernatural film sets on ancient Jewish demonology. A young man unwillingly accepts the responsibility to watch over his community member’s dead body. All of a sudden, he begins to feel something very maleficent around himself. Provided that The Vigil has occult’s violent scenes, you need to digest that or just scream. So, it will rich your every creepy moment by far. Read Jodi Kintu Tobuo: Sense the love vibe this summer! Verdict Choosing the creepy, grisly, dreadful, horror movies to watch in the covid-19 lockdown in 2021 can get you out of the hangovers in the ominous Covid-19. Even a little adrenaline rush can divert us from the depression of this pandemic time. Though you don’t often measure the movie necessarily, sometimes you just enjoy some exciting moments! Despite the storyline or acting, you just love to jump out of your seat. And, that’s all to get you out of the hangovers in the ominous Covid-19. Our reviewed horror movies can give you that. Most importantly, these top 10 latest horror movies are carrying the trends of the horror genre. A carnival of a remarkable audience keeps its popularity in pace in the thriving entertainment industry. If you love this list, you are also one of them.